


Just A Prayer

by park_jimin



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, first fic lol i tried, slow burn kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 13:31:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15438102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/park_jimin/pseuds/park_jimin
Summary: Chen Linong isn’t exactly decisive, but there is one thing he is absolutely sure about.He dislikes Cai Xukun.No, hehateshim.





	Just A Prayer

Chen Linong isn’t exactly decisive, but there is one thing he is absolutely sure about. He dislikes Cai Xukun. No, he _hates_ him. 

The reason? It’s actually quite petty, considering Linong has never really spoken to the other for more than five seconds and that he barely knows anything about Xuxun. But, to Linong, his hatred is 100% justified. 

It began back in high school, when Linong had the biggest crush on a fellow classmate, Zhu Zhengting. To say that Linong was infatuated was an understatement. He was _obsessed_. In fact, it got so bad that Linong’s friends were so sure that he would get a restraining order. 

“Ya, Nongnong.” Lin Yanjun slowly chewed his bread. “I know that I sometimes drool over You Zhangjing, but you’re like... completely whipped for this guy.”

From the opposite side of the table, Justin snickered. “Yeah dude. It’s actually kind of creepy.” 

Linong glared at his friends. “Hey, at least I’m trying. Unlike poor Justin here who just really wants to get in Fan Chengcheng’s pants but is too pussy to talk to him.” 

With that, Justin choked on his milk and Yanjun burst out in distorted laughter. 

Linong knew Zhengting’s school schedule like it was his own (cue the stalker vibes), and secretly watched him in between classes and after school. Everytime Linong would want to talk to the other, he always backed out in nervous sweat. He hated himself for not having the courage to approach the other, but he finally mustered up the strength to say something after months of silence. 

“H-hey Zhengting!” Linong cursed himself for stuttering. “I’m C-Chen Linong. I sit two seats away from you in homeroom.” 

Zhengting flashed his signature smiled in return, and Linong melted a little on the inside. “Hi! I know who you are, Nongong. We have group discussions all the time together, remember?”

 _Nongong?_ Linong had officially died and woken up in the afterlife. “O-Oh. That’s right.” 

Before the conversation could evolve into anything more, Zhengting was suddenly grabbed by one of his friends and swiftly pulled away. Before he left, he had said, “Bye Nongnong! Let’s chat more in class, okay?” 

Linong was stunned at what had just happened, his hand still awkwardly in the air from waving goodbye. He smiled to himself, giddy with happiness.

However, that very next day, all his happiness and expectations washed away like a tsunami when Linong could see Zhengting’s eyes linger a little too long on the new transfer student. 

“Hi everyone! I’m Cai Xukun. Please take care of me!” The transfer student bowed, and Linong wanted to throw up when he heard Zhengting clap obnoxiously loud. To make matters even worse, Xukun was seated right in between Linong and Zhengting, much to Linong’s distaste. 

When Xukun introduced himself again to his seat partners, Linong could only hide his anger and heartbreak behind a fake smile. 

***

As weeks progressed, Zhengting and Linong grew closer, as they chatted together in class as promised, but so did Zhengting and Xukun. Zhengting would often tell Linong his feelings for the other, slowly breaking Linong’s heart, but all he could do was smile and encourage his friend. 

It came to a boiling point when Zhengting told Linong that he was going to confess. 

“Nongong, I’m going to do it.” 

Sitting next to the other in the library, Linong looked up from his textbook in confusion. “Hm?”

Zhengting turned to face his friend. “I’m going to confess to Xukun.”

Linong’s eyes widened, his mind searching for words to say, anything to stop Zhengting from confessing, but none came out. “O-Oh. When?” 

“Tonight, at Chengcheng’s party. Thanks so much for helping me this whole time, Nongnong. You gave me so much courage, so... I’m going to do it.” 

That night, when Linong saw Zhengting and Xukun grind together with their tongues in each other’s mouths at the party, he couldn’t stop hot tears from streaming down his face. 

***

It’s been three years since the incident, but Linong’s friends still tease him about it. 

“I can’t believe you still hate Xukun after all this time. I mean, it’s been so long. People change.” Justin walks to his locker and grabs his backpack. “Anyways, their relationship only lasted a month.” 

Linong glares at Justin. “Zhengting moved away to Korea afterwards from heartbreak. I could never forgive Xukun.” 

“You’ve never really talked him though! We’re on the same basketball team, and he’s actually a good guy and—” 

Linong slams his locker door, the loud boom echoing in the empty hallway. “I. Don’t. Care. His past actions speak enough for him.” 

Justin only sighs, exasperated, and throws his hands up in defeat. “Okay, sure.” After a slight pause, Justin speaks again. “Where’s Yanjun?”

The other raises an eyebrow and smiles. “Probably somewhere fucking You Zhangjing.” 

Justin mutters something along the lines of _“God bless this sick child”_ and scrambles away before Linong can say any more. Although Linong was born with the face of an angel, his mouth was created by the devil. He, himself, often wonders what had changed him. 

Walking alone, he lets his thoughts wander to the past. 

When Linong moved to Beijing from Taiwan during sophomore year of high school, his number one resolve was to fit in with his classmates. With his innocent looks and long legs, Linong had no trouble finding friends. Or, at least that’s what he thought. 

He had never expected his first encounter with Lin Yanjun to be in the men’s bathroom with his mouth wrapped tightly around the other’s dick. 

Their relationship had started out as a “friends with benefits” and “no strings attached” thing, but as soon as Yanjun found Zhangjing, he had dropped his playboy persona within a day. 

Linong had always thought it was scary how Yanjun could change in a blink of an eye. 

Justin, on the other hand, was quite the annoying classmate at first, always insisting that Linong try out for the basketball team because of his above-average height. 

Each time, Linong would brush him off, and Justin would come back with even more determination. He would try bribing the other with food and homework answers, yet none of them had worked. At the end of the year, Justin gave up, but Linong had already taken a strange liking to the blonde. Thus, Justin was integrated into Linong’s daily life. 

Then came Zhu Zhengting, and the rest is history. 

After Zhengting had moved to Korea, Linong was sad, of course, but had gotten over the boy and moved on. Occasionally, he would think of the other, but never with as much passion as before. 

Unfortunately, Linong didn’t have much of a strong love life afterwards either. He had dated a couple of people (Zhou Yanchen, a nice boy who liked brushing his teeth; Bi Wenjun, a hot model from a nearby university; Yu Mingjun, a dancer with blonde ramen hair), but most of his relationships ended after the third date. Linong had just never felt _that_ spark again. 

Chen Linong concludes that his love life is officially dead. 

A loud bang suddenly breaks Linong from his thoughts and he sees a boy stumble in front of him, books and papers already splattered across the floor. He hears the boy curse loudly as he scrambles to pick up his belongings. 

Linong decides to help the boy, who seems to be in a hurry, and picks up his math worksheets and multi-colored folders. 

As Linong passes the papers to the other, he takes a glance at his face and quickly notices the neatly gelled black hair, gentle facial features, and stunning smile. “Thank you,” the boy says. 

_Oh, this guy is cute._ Linong clears his throat and flashes a smile back. 

“I’m Chen Linong, a junior here at the university.” 

“My name is Wang Ziyi. I’m a sophomore.” To the other, even his voice is attractive. 

_Wang Ziyi._ Linong is pretty sure he has heard Justin say that name before when he talked about the basketball team. He reminds himself to ask his friend about Ziyi later. 

The boy takes a quick glance at his phone as gasps. “Sorry, Linong. I have to go to my class, but I’ll see you around. Thanks again!” 

And just like that, Ziyi is gone just as quickly as he came. 

Linong just stands there, unable to process what had just happened, but what he does know is that his heart is pounding strangely fast. 

***

“Did you just say Wang Ziyi?” Justin almost spits his water out and is on the verge of laughing. 

Linong frowns. “What? Stop making fun of me.” 

Justin takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down. “The Wang Ziyi that you’re so interested in is none other than Cai Xukun’s best friend.” 

Eyes widening in horror, Linong’s mouth drops wide open. “What the fuck.” 

The two friends seated in front of him just howl in uncontrollable snickering, their shoulders jumping up and down. 

“This is what you get for being a bitch.” Justin gives Yanjun a high-five. 

“What? You fu—” 

Just then, Linong looks up to see Ziyi walk into the dining hall with one hand hung around Xukun’s shoulder. _Speak of the devil._

“Holy shit.” Linong places his head in his hands and groans loudly. 

“Maybe if you paid attention to your so-called-enemy, you would’ve known.” Justin smirks at the moping boy. 

“Justin, I’m not in the mood for scolding, especially from someone like you.” 

Justin, a little offended, pouts his lip. “But I’m the smarter one.” 

“Shit. Truth has been spoken,” Yanjun says, still howling. 

“Shut up, Yanjun. If you weren’t so busy using your mouth to suck-off Zhangjing all the time maybe you would actually have something useful to say.” 

Yanjun just hums in agreement, clearly unaffected by Linong’s comment, while Justin murmurs another prayer under his breath. After that day, Linong decides that Justin and Yanjun are the worst best friends ever. 

***

At the university, Linong isn’t terrible at school work, but he isn’t the top student either. He maintains mostly B’s and some A’s in all his classes, which is pretty good for someone who doesn’t give shit about his major (public policy; it was something his parents made him do). 

But when Linong hears that there will be a partner presentation for his upcoming constitutional law midterm, he knows that he’ll be fucked. The thing is, Linong tends to procrastinate until the last minute, because “diamonds are made under pressure.” From his past experiences with working in groups, Linong learned that other students didn’t really appreciate that. 

Linong quickly scans the classroom to see if there are any potential (and forgiving) partners he could work well with, and his eyes lay on Ziyi, sitting next to Xukun. 

_Ziyi is in this class?_ Linong’s eyes widen in excitement. _Oh please God, answer my prayers now. Please put me with Wang Ziyi._

As professor Zhang Yixing calls out partner assignments, Linong continues to pray in his head. 

“Zhou Yanchen and Ding Zeren.” 

_Please, Wang Ziyi._

“Ling Chao and Mu Ziyang.” 

_Wang Ziyi. Wang Ziyi. Wang Ziyi._

“Chen Linong and Cai Xukun.” 

Linong whips his head up and meets Xukun’s eyes. _Oh hell no. OH HELL NO._

Just then, Linong knows that the Gods are laughing at him, and that he is indeed, getting reprimanded for being a bitch. 

***

“Hey, Linong. I’m Cai Xukun. We’re partners for the midterm, remember?” 

Linong snaps out of his angry trance and glances at the other. He almost hisses at him, but stops himself when he sees Ziyi standing next to him. 

“Oh, yeah.” Linong doesn’t know what else to say without offending the two in front of him. He is still deciding whether to be a jerk or to be nice for the sake of Ziyi, when a cloud of awkwardness quickly engulfs the three. 

Ziyi lightly coughs to break the silence. “Thanks again for helping me the other day, Linong.” Then, he turns to Xukun. “I told you about him and why I was late to class.” 

Xukun’s eyes light up, as if he suddenly remembers who Linong is and nodded. “Ah, that’s why your name sounded so familiar. Ziyi was talking about how nice you were.” 

_Does he seriously not remember me?_ Linong narrows his eyes at Xukun’s earlier comment, and for a moment, completely forgets that Ziyi was there. 

“Cai Xukun. You don’t recognize me from high school? Does Zhu Zhengting ring a bell?” 

Linong swears he sees something dark flash in Xukun’s eyes, but it disappears after just a second. “Oh, of course. How could I have forgotten? You were Zhengting’s best friend, right?” 

The other inwardly cringes. “Uh, Yeah.” 

Xukun just smiles and awkwardly places his hand behind his neck. “You’ve gotten a lot taller, Linong. You’re even taller than me now.” 

Linong’s right eyebrow raises. _What the heck is this lame attempt at small talk?_ He doesn’t really know what to answer with, expect for a small nod. Both are now staring at each other, very uncomfortably. 

Thank God for Ziyi, because he senses the awkward tension and claps his hands. “Alright, now that introductions are over, how about we head over to lunch together?” 

Needless to say, that lunch is one of the worst that Linong has ever experienced. Linong had tried to focus all his attention on Ziyi, but Xukun’s annoying presence distracted him every minute. 

After, Xukun and Linong set up a time and spot for their first meeting together, and it happened to be at Xukun’s suite, the next evening. Although Linong had eaten his favorite meal, he left lunch that day with a sour taste in his mouth. 

***

_Knock Knock._

Linong had, never in his life, thought that he would show up in front of Xukun’s dorm with a bag of family sized shrimp chips in one hand and two cups of cold matcha latte boba in the other. 

Earlier, Justin had forced him to buy those things, because it would show “proper respect and kindness to our dear Xukun who has to deal with your bullshit.” Linong genuinely thinks about giving Justin a good beating. 

Xukun opens the door seconds later with a charming smile on his face. Linong, wanting to slap the grin off the other’s face, actually considers that Xukun would be pretty handsome, if only he didn’t dislike him so much. Xukun’s eyes wanders to the snacks that Linong is holding, and quietly laughs. 

“Wow, you brought food?”

“My friend forced me to. You might know the dumbass. Justin? Huang Minghao?” 

Xukun nods. “Ah, yes. He’s on the basketball team. Quite the wild child if I say so myself.” 

Linong almost laughs and agrees, except he remembers that Xukun is his enemy and reminds himself that he shouldn’t laugh at his enemy’s jokes. 

They enter the dorm, and the first thing Linong notices is that it’s unexpectedly clean. Xukun’s clothes are all folded neatly in the drawers, not a single sock out of place. His textbooks, all organized in alphabetical order, are situated on a shelf next to a neatly made bed. 

Linong turns to the wall and sees multiple Next7 band posters hanging, and he smirks. _I didn’t take Xukun as the fanboy type._

After a few minutes, Linong places his snacks on Xukun’s desk. The other picks up the bag of chips and looks at it with confusion. “Shrimp chips? I don’t think I’ve ever had these.” 

“What the fuck. Have you been living under a rock?” Linong blurts in shock before he can stop himself. 

“You know, you have a really vulgar mouth for someone like you.” 

“Someone like me?” 

“A university student who looks like a cute, harmless twelve year-old.” Xukun chuckles. 

_This bitch. How dare he?_ Linong is about to retort with a comeback, but stops when he sees Ziyi walk into the room. Linong is surprised, to say the least. 

Xukun rises from his chair. “Oh, I forgot to mention. Ziyi is actually my roommate too. I hope you don’t mind him crashing some of our meetings.” 

Linong’s mind goes blank for a minute and he nods, just a little too enthusiastically. 

Ziyi walks up to Xukun and grabs the shrimp chip bag. “Wow, these are my favorite! Thanks for bringing them Linong.” 

The dumbstruck student only smiles stupidly to himself. 

_Maybe this won’t be so bad after all._

From that meeting on, Linong brings three servings of snacks, just in case Ziyi shows up. And whenever Ziyi crashes, Linong doesn’t hesitate to talk to him sweetly, a stark contrast from his personality when he is with Xukun alone. 

Linong is glad Xukun never notices, and if he does, he never says anything. 

***

“Hey, Linong. We need to talk.” 

Linong unwillingly looks up from his laptop, a scowl already forming on his face. It has already been an hour, Linong is tired and ready to gouge the other’s eyes out. 

Almost snarling, Linong sarcastically answers Xukun. “What’s wrong this time, your royal highness?”

“This is exactly the problem! You have a shitty attitude.” 

Linong just rolls his eyes. “So what? At least I’m doing the work properly.” 

“Look, professor Zhang really emphasizes teamwork in these group projects, and if you keep acting like this, then he’ll notice.” Xukun is practically pleading the other. 

“I couldn’t care less, since it’s also only 5% of the overall grade,” Linong replies, emotionless. 

“Chen Linong. Stop it.” Xukun’s eyebrows furrow. 

Linong slams his laptop cover with a loud bang, startling the other. “Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what to do?” 

“What? Don’t you care about your education? Your grades? Making friends?” 

Linong just scoffs dramatically in return. 

“Hey! Answer when I ask you something.” Xukun sighs when he fails to elicit a response from the other. He continues, slowly. “You know, I really wasn’t planning on bringing this up, but I know you have the hots for Wang Ziyi.” 

With this, Linong’s head snaps up. His mind is racing uncontrollably, and he feels sick to the stomach. “What the. No I don’t.” 

“It’s futile to deny it. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your sick change in personality when Ziyi comes over.” 

“ _Sick_ change? That’s how I normally act, thank you very much.” 

“Oh really? Then why do you act so different around me? I don’t understand why you hate me so much.” 

Linong’s eyes darken and he stands up to face the other. “Oh, you don’t know? Why don’t you take a guess then?” 

“W-What? How would I know?” 

Linong replies with another scoff. “Of course, how would you know? You were always Zhengting’s most precious ‘kunkun.’”

“Why the fuck are you bringing up Zhengting right now?” Xukun’s voice lowers to a growl. 

Lips morphed into a thin line, Linong nonchalantly replies, “You brought up Ziyi, so I brought up Zhengting.” 

“Linong, don’t you dare compare the two. They’re nothing alike. What the hell has gotten into you? Cut the bullshit and just—” 

“I loved him,” Linong’s says softly, voice breaking. 

“What?” Xukun thinks he has misheard. 

“I loved him,” Linong repeats, this time stronger. “Zhu Zhengting. Long before you knew him, Xukun.” 

Xukun can’t find words to say, so he just stares at the other, eyes wide. 

“Do you know how much it hurt to see him fall helplessly in love with the ‘handsome, perfect transfer student?’ I could only stand there and do nothing as Zhengting flew further and further away from me each day.” 

Linong takes a deep breath, stabilizing his voice before continuing. 

“And when you broke up with him, that was my last straw. Zhengting was crying for hours, days. I hated you so much. For hurting Zhengting. For making him move to Korea. For taking him away from me one last time.” 

Linong looks up to see Xukun’s guilt ridden eyes. He sighs and quickly gathers his belongings. “I’ve said everything I need to. I’ll be leaving, then.” 

Without another word, Linong exits the dorm, leaving Xukun in a mess of emotions. 

***

Their next meeting is suffocating. 

Neither of them says anything throughout the duration of the two hours. Xukun notices that, for the first time, Linong doesn’t bring his usual snacks. 

In terms of progress, they had never worked more on the project than within those hours. Linong would simply follow what Xukun did, with no lame excuses. It felt so odd to Xukun, so out of place. Although he would never openly admit it, he misses Linong’s loudness. 

They are almost done with the presentation, yet, Xukun has never felt more stuck than at that moment. 

At the end, Linong departs too quickly, leaving Xukun with unspoken words in his mouth. 

***

“Chen Linong.” 

Linong’s path out of the library is suddenly blocked by an arm. His eyes trail to its owner, and he sees a very flustered looking Xukun. Not expecting to see his enemy outside of the dorm, Linong raises an eyebrow.

“What the fuck do you want now?” 

“I—There are things I need to say to you.” Xukun tries to catch his breath as quickly as possible. 

_Was he running to catch up with me?_

“I guess I owe a really overdue apology.” Regaining his composure, Xukun clears his throat and looks Linong straight in the eye. “I’m sorry, Linong. I really am.” 

Linong, taken aback by Xukun’s directness, slightly steps back. “U-Uh...I-I won’t forgive you for hurting Zhengting.” 

Xukun’s head drops in guilt and sadness. “Actually, I wanted to tell you why we broke up.” 

“Zhengting said it was because you didn’t care about him anymore, right? I really don’t want to hear this again.” Linong’s voice suddenly raises in frustration. 

“No, that was never the case.” Xukun quickly opposes. “He...he wanted to do things I wasn’t ready for.” 

_Oh._

“I was just an eighteen year old transfer student. I didn’t understand anything, it was my first relationship and I was inexperienced. I broke it off because I...” Xukun trails off, composure slowly breaking. “I was scared.” 

Linong doesn’t know what to say and suddenly feels pity for the poor boy. 

“I know that you probably think I’m a coward, an idiot, and I don’t judge you for hating me, Linong. But I never wanted to hurt Zhengting, even if I ended up doing so.” 

Seeing Xukun trembling and on the verge of tears, Linong quickly engulfs Xukun in a tight hug. “This doesn’t mean I entirely forgive you, but I owe you an apology too. For judging you without even knowing you.” 

They stay together like that for a while, each swimming in their own thoughts. 

To Linong, it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. And for the first time in years, he’s finally able to breathe. 

***

After that day, things drastically change. 

Linong stops being such an asshole to Xukun during meetings, although he occasionally jokes around (harmlessly) with the other. 

_“Of course, my royal highness.”_

_“Anything for you, my royal highness.”_

Unlike before, Linong doesn’t actually mean it, but he would still get rewarded with a light kick to the stomach. 

Ziyi even notices the change one day. 

“Bro, you guys interact a lot more now and seem closer.” 

“Hm do we?” Xukun asks while typing his script. 

Linong smiles and adds, “But not as close as you and me, right Ziyi?” He moves closer to the roommate and tugs cutely on the hem of his BOOGIE shirt. 

Xukun glares in disgust at his partner, but Linong just sends an innocent wink in Xukun’s direction. Linong turns back to Ziyi, just in time to miss the light pink that flushes across Xukun’s face. 

After Ziyi leaves for his dance class, Xukun gives Linong a disapproving look and shakes his head. “What the fuck was that stunt?” 

Linong pouts in return. “What? Did you forget that I ‘have the hots’ for your roommate, dumbass?” 

“You’re gross. You’re going to steal my best friend away.” 

“Hey, it’s not like you didn’t years ago.” 

“What the—that’s different!” 

Linong just laughs, and Xukun joins quickly afterwards. 

_Since when did I start joking about the incident? Everything seems so trivial now; how could I have been such a naive idiot back then?_

When Linong looks at Xukun, openly laughing, and then at himself, casually propped on top of the other’s bed, he can’t help but think that this is the way things are meant to be. 

***

“Hey, don’t you think we should take a break?” 

Xukun raises an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me lazy Nongnong is back.” 

Linong chuckles at the cute nickname. “I just think that we’ve been working on this project for so long now, and we’re so close to finishing. We might as well relax a little.” 

“Our meetings are only two hours long. Don’t be such a drama queen.” 

“Oh, please? Kunkun?” Linong’s voice raises an octave, and his cuteness meter is officially at its maximum. Xukun visibly gulps at the action, and he can’t bring himself to refuse the other’s puppy eyes. 

“Ugh, you’re so annoying. Just for a little bit.” 

Linong pumps his fist in the air in excitement, and Xukun just smiles to himself. 

Fifteen minutes later, they end up at the nearest shopping mall. Linong had said it would be “bonus points” if they wore coordinating outfits for the presentation, although Xukun highly doubted that. Nonetheless, Xukun had dumbly agreed to the idea. 

The first shop they enter is Burberry. 

“Nongong what the fuck are we doing in here? We’re poor ass college students in case you forgot,” Xukun hisses quietly, making sure the workers can’t hear him. 

“Relax. I’m just getting inspiration.” 

Little does Xukun know, Linong _really_ likes getting inspiration. 

They probably enter around twenty designer name stores, much to Xukun’s distaste; Linong had claimed it would be worth it. Xukun can’t do anything but follow, pulled in each time by Linong’s tugging hand. 

Finally, Linong drags Xukun into a more modest store. _H &M._

“Oh, God. Finally.” Xukun sighs dramatically loud and pretends to kiss the ground. “I thought I was never going to see this store again.” 

Linong just rolls his eyes. In his head, he had already designed the perfect outfits for the pair. 

For himself, he would wear a white turtleneck underneath a knee-length black coat, decorated with white paint splatters. For the bottoms, he thinks that a grid patterned black and white pair of trousers is perfect. 

Kukun’s outfit would be a slightly simpler, but bolder. He would wear a black and white grid patterned blazer (to match Linong’s pants), and underneath, don a maroon colored dress shirt with a black bow tie. As for pants, Linong decides on a pair of standard black skinny jeans. 

Linong finds all the pieces quickly and ushers the other to the fitting room. 

_This is so good. The entire class is going to be jealous._ Linong is gushing over his own seemingly ingenious idea, when his breath is suddenly taken away by the sight that stood before him. 

Xukun comes out of the dressing room, face red with embarrassment. To Linong’s surprise, all the pieces fit perfectly and beautifully accented all of physical features. In his eyes, no one had ever looked as good as Xukun in a simple blazer and jeans. 

“Why did you make me do this? I look so awkward and terrible, don’t I?” 

_You look like a fucking snack right now._ “Yeah, but you always look stupid, so why not give this a try too?” 

Xukun slaps Linong’s arm, but laughs anyway. “Whatever, you’re going to be at blame when our classmates ridicule us.” 

_If it means seeing you in that outfit again, then I don’t care._

On the walk back to his own dorm, Linong can’t stop thinking about the day he had spent with Xukun. His mind wanders to Xukun’s annoyingly handsome face, his smile, his cute cheek mole. _What the fuck is wrong with me?_

His hand that had held Xukun’s is burning, and Linong doesn’t know if it is because he held on too tightly or pulled the other too harshly. 

When he arrives back home, he runs his hands in cold water and flops onto his bed, sleep quickly overcoming the exhausted student. 

If he had stayed awake just a while longer, he would have noticed that his heart was also burning with passion. 

***

It’s already the last meeting before the final presentation date, and Linong can’t help but feel a bit sad. So much had happened within the past two weeks, and it all passed by in a blink. _Time flies when you’re having fun._

“Can you believe it? We’re almost there, Nongong.” Xukun stretches his arms above his head and lets out a big yawn. 

“Yeah, but it was a long ass ride to get here.” 

Xukun hums in agreement and begins to verbally review the slides one last time. 

Linong is extremely tired, to say the least. It is 2AM in the morning, and as much as he wants to pay attention, he really can’t. Linong feels his eyes slowly close and his mind succumb to the pleasure of sleep. 

He doesn’t know how long it has been since he feel asleep, but he hears a loud voice break his rest. “Nongnong! NONGNONG!” 

Linong snaps his eyes open and almost jumps back in shock when he is met with the face of a slightly amused Xukun, noses only an inch apart. 

“Yah why aren’t you paying attention, you brat. Are you that eager to fail in two days?” 

Linong quickly shakes his head and scoots back, attempting to hide his flushed red face. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, his heart is pounding so intensely that he’s positive Xukun can hear it from where he is sitting. 

_Chen Linong. What the actual fuck is wrong with you?_

Never in his life did Linong think he would ever forgive Xukun, let alone _like_ him. Hand still clutching his chest, Linong concludes that he is a fucked up human being. 

“Anyways.” Xukun’s voice breaks Linong’s thoughts. “Is there anything else you want to add to the presentation before showtime?”

“Nah, I think it’s perfect.” 

_No, I think you’re perfect._

***

“So let me get this straight. You’ve hated Xukun basically your entire life, and now you find out that you actually have a crush on him, a day before your presentation?” Justin looks at Linong with the most amused face ever, and the other wishes he could smack him. 

“Yes,” Linong hisses. “Now help me before I self-destruct.” 

Yanjun, who is sitting across the other two, decides to speak. “Just confess.” 

Linong wants to kick him. “What do you mean, just confess? It isn’t as simple as that. And I’m pretty sure Xukun still thinks I like Ziyi.” 

“I mean, a confession won’t cost you your life, right?” 

“It’ll cost us our friendship, you dumbass.” 

“I hate to say this, but I think might Yanjun have a point.” Justin rubs his chin in thought. “It’s useless to just wait around and do nothing. And besides, I’m like 37% sure Xukun likes you back. I can feel it.” 

Needless to say, Linong is completely done with this best friends. 

***

The presentation is a huge success, and they both earn A’s in the end. Professor Yixing even compliments their “excellent teamwork” and the coordinating outfits on the rubric they receive a day later. 

“See? I told you I was a genius.” Linong smirks at his partner. Even though class already ended, they had decided to stay behind to look over the rubric in more detail. 

Xukun just rolls his eyes. “You did great though. I had my doubts before, but looks like you were able to pull through.” 

Linong gasps dramatically and clutches his chest, pretending that he’s offended. He leans back on one of the chairs behind him. “Wow, I’m hurt.” 

The other laughs and ruffles Linong’s hair gently. “Drama queen,” he murmurs. 

As if on cue, Linong’s heart starts beating erratically. _Fuck._ He silently prays that Xukun doesn’t notice his burning face. Luckily, Xukun turns away from him seconds later to pick up his backpack. 

“You know, we should celebrate our hard work. After all, an opportunity like this doesn’t come easily.” Linong nods simply in response. 

Later that night, they decide to hit the club, only because neither of them had been in a while due to midterm exams. 

“Nongong maximum one drink, okay? We still need to wake up early for class tomorrow.” Linong just pouts in response, but nods. 

When they enter, the smell of liquor and sweat hit them like a train and the loud music pounds in their ears. They immediately stroll over to the bar, where Linong catches sight of a familiar face. 

“Zhangjing! I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.” The bartender turns his head to see a smiling Linong. 

“Yeah, well I had to cover for Han Mubo, who stupidly broke his arm trying to ice-skate.” 

Zhangjing notices Xukun standing beside Linong and raises an eyebrow. He leans in close to Linong and whispers harshly, “What the fuck? I thought you hated this guy.” 

Linong throws a playful wink in his direction, and Zhangjing just shakes his head. 

“Well, I’ll make you two a special drink tonight. It’s just a twist on the ‘Old Fashioned’, but I like to call it the _Love Shots._ ” 

Linong glares at the bartender, and Zhangjing just sends back a wink. 

Xukun doesn’t seem to notice the interactions between the two, much to Linong’s relief. Instead, he looks eagerly at the brightly lit dance floor. 

“Nongnong, do you dance?” 

“Uhh...I tried a little back in highschool, but I never went further with it. Why?” 

“Dance with me.” 

Linong turns his head to face Xukun’s and looks down to see the other’s outstretched hand. Linong’s heart begins to beat abnormally fast, and he thinks that the whole thing would have been romantic if only Zhangjing wasn’t snickering loudly in the back. 

After downing the shots, the pair walks to the dance floor, where they are met with sweaty bodies. Xukun begins to move first by swaying his hips rhythmically to the music. His facial expression changes to match the mood, and Linong thinks that he would make a really good performer one day. 

_He’s so fucking hot when he dances._ Linong follows soon after, dancing in a stiffer fashion than the other, but still enjoying himself. 

The music changes to “Wait a Minute” by Nex7, and Xukun immediately adjusts his dancing to match the song. Xukun had previously memorized the moves for a dance class, and soon, a large circle forms around the other. People are cheering for Xukun, including Linong, who is captivated by his performance.

 _He could seriously be the eighth member of Nex7._ Linong smiles to himself. He soon notices that the circle is getting uncomfortably tight as more people watched, so he swiftly exits the dance floor, leaving Xukun in his own world. He walks up to Zhangjing and orders another drink. 

“So, Linong. Do you like him or what? I could practically see hearts coming out of your eyes when you were staring at him.” 

“Shut up. Don’t think I can’t see that with you and Yanjun. Oh, of course only during those rare moments you guys aren’t fucking.”

With that, Zhangjing’s face turns bright red and he roughly slides Linong his drink. 

“Well, you better step up your game because looks like Xukun is getting popular.” Zhangjing nods his head in the direction of the dance floor. 

When Linong turns his head and sees Xukun, he thinks that he is going to burst from the jealousy bubbling inside. The song had changed moments ago, and he can now see Xukun grinding sensually on top of another guy, whose hands are situated on Xukun’s lower hips. 

Linong doesn’t know if it is the alcohol or anger, but he finds the courage to storm up to Xukun and drag him harshly off the dance floor and to an empty hall. Of course, Linong doesn’t forget to throw the guy who was dancing with Xukun a nasty glare. 

“Nongnong? Are you okay?” Xukun’s asks when the two finally stop walking. His face wears a look of surprise and worry. 

Linong’s head is still pounding. “Does it look like I’m okay?” 

“What’s wrong?” 

“What do you mean ‘what’s wrong?’ You grinding your ass against a stranger is what’s wrong!” 

Xukun looks taken aback. “What? I was just having a little fun.” 

Linong is about to explode. “Well, seeing that guy rub his nasty hands on you is not fun to me.” 

“Nongnong, are you drunk?”

Linong scoffs. “I wish I were drunk. So drunk that I wouldn’t have to remember this feeling right now. Jealousy when I see you dance with someone that’s not me. Anger when you smile at someone that’s not me. Disappointment when I realize I’m not the one always standing next to you.” 

“W-What? Nongnong you—” 

“I-I know that only a few weeks ago, I hated you. I get it, you probably still hate me too for that, but when I say that I’ve come to realize I’ve been so dumb, I mean it. Right now, I know that I’m stupid again, for—” Linong’s voice cracks, and he keeps his head down, avoiding Xukun’s gaze. “I’m stupid for falling in love with you.” 

His words are followed by silence. Linong never looks up, and neither of them moves. 

“Xukun, it’s okay, just say that you don’t feel that way, and liberate me from this suffocating feeling. My heart really can’t take this anymore. I’m sorry, that I’m making you go through this. Please just—” 

Linong’s words are interrupted by a pair of warm arms wrapping around his body. It takes his brain a few seconds to realize that Xukun is hugging him. 

“W-What? Xu—”

“You _are_ really dumb, you know?” 

Linong finally glances up to see Xukun’s smiling face, as bright and charming as ever. 

“How could I not fall in love with your adorable, twelve year-old self?” Xukun’s gaze feels as if it is piercing Linong’s soul. “How could you ever think that you weren’t the most important person to me?” 

Linong’s eyes widen, and tears are threatening to spill out. “I-I hate you.” 

“Ouch, my heart hurts.” Xukun laughs and smiles sweetly at the other. After a moment, he slowly inches his face forward, until there is no space left between them. 

Linong’s breath slightly hitches, and then, he can feel Xukun’s thick, moisturized lips against his own. To him, it feels so right. His heart is pounding uncontrollably, and his body is on fire. Linong had imagined this moment for so long, and he never expected it to be so good, with his lips locked against Xukun’s. 

_Is this what paradise feels like?_

Then Linong hears Xukun let out a low moan, and his mind goes completely blank. He pushes his body even closer to the other and kisses him harder. His hands tug on Xukun’s neck and hair, and he can feel Xukun’s roaming around his lower back. 

When they pull apart moments later, both are gasping for air, their hair messy and lips swollen. Foreheads touching, the pair stare into each other’s eyes with intensity. 

As Linong pulls Xukun in for another kiss, he whispers in the other’s ear, one more time just for good measure. 

“I love you.” 

***

“Okay, I thought Yanjun and Zhangjing were gross, but you guys are really pushing the line.” Justin stares at the couple sitting in front of him with a grimace. From the side, Yanjun frowns at the younger. 

“You’re just jealous because after all these years, you still can’t get Fan Chengcheng.” Linong looks up to see Justin mouth an angry _“shut up”_ at him and cross his arms. 

Then, Yanjun leans in close to Linong and loudly whispers, “So, have you guys...you know. Gone _further_?” Lingong shoves the boy’s head aside, muttering something along the lines of _“this boy needs to see a fucking doctor.”_

The boys sit in silence for a while afterwards, enjoying each other’s company and chewing on their lunches. 

Yanjun is the first to talk. 

“Guys, I have a new pick-up line. Justin, do you want to hear it?” He pulls himself closer to his younger friend, who tries to push him away. 

“No. Fuck off.” 

“Hey, you’re pretty and I’m cute. Together, we’d be Pretty Cute.”

Justin doesn’t hesitate to kick Yanjun in the leg, and Linong fake gags in disgust. 

Then, Linong turns to see Xukun laugh openly at Yanjun’s cold joke. _How can someone possibly be so attractive when they laugh?_ At that moment, he can’t help but think that Xukun is actually an angel sent from heaven to heal Linong’s helpless soul. For once, he knows that the Gods have answered his prayers. 

He feels Xukun’s hand wrap gently around his underneath the table, and turns his head to meet Xukun’s dazzling smile. 

Chen Linong isn’t exactly decisive, but there is one thing he is absolutely sure about. 

He loves Cai Xukun.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for making it all the way to the end! <3 quite honestly, i wrote this in one sitting after i had a crazy dream about idol producer. this is my first fic, so i know its still very cringe (i know i cringed when re-reading it). i would like to thank you guys again for actually tolerating my terrible writing and fluff haha. i have summer work to do, but i did this instead kms.


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